Visa launched its latest Global Travel Intentions Study 2015 at ATM 2015, revealing that the UAE is the most popular destination for travellers from the Middle East and Africa (MENA) region.
“Our latest Visa Global Travel Intentions Study is shining a very positive light on the region and UAE’s industry and what’s interesting to see is that people from this region are serious about their leisure time.
"People from the MEA region holiday for an average of 13 nights per trip – which is more than the global average, and travellers from Saudi Arabia and Egypt put aside the largest travel budgets per trip,” said Visa MENA general manager UAE and global accounts lead Marcello Baricordi.
Ranking ahead of Egypt and Turkey, the study shows that 16% of the 1637 respondents from MENA chose UAE as their most favoured travel destination within the region in 2015. The UAE also remains among the top destination choices for global travellers over the next year.
The study also revealed that globally, respondents say they put aside a median travel budget of US$2281 per trip, while those from the MENA region report they will spend substantially more. Of the 25 countries surveyed, travellers from Saudi Arabia said they spend the most – a median of $5866 per trip - closely followed by Egyptians at $ 4917 in second place and Chinese travellers at $,780 in third. Travellers from the UAE put aside a median travel budget of $2518 per trip which is higher than the global median.
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Moreover, exploring the world at your own pace and schedule is increasingly popular as up to 24% of global travellers are now opting to travel alone compared to 15% in 2013. This is even more prevalent among the affluent and first time travellers.
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